As soon as she stepped over the threshold, the Librarian stirred. Giving her one last shove, Dante turned to find the old geezer stirring in his chair. First great paw, then the other slid under his weight, and he held onto the arm of the chair as he blinked awake. Dante and Vergil stood still as statues, gawking as his misty eyes searched the room, as his crumpled ears twitched and nostrils flared.

Then he let out a roar.

Jurassic Park. Was the only thought that crossed Dante's mind as the very air quaked around him. He and Vergil were blown several steps back by the force, the latter clinging onto the furniture for safety.

With surprising vigour, the old beast stood, gums bared and fists balled.

"Y'think he knows?"

Vergil glowered at him.

The demon struck with surprising speed, bringing a hand down on the chair Vergil had been sitting in. Dante reckoned if he still had the use of his eyes, they'd be goners. As it was, they had their work cut out for them; the Librarian took up most of the space in the foyer, sweeping and smashing frantically.

"The door!" Vergil shouted. "Get between him and the door! He knows the book is gone!"

"You little shits!" Bart boomed, pounding his fist on the floor, Dante cartwheeled away as furniture flew in every direction, forced to punch and slash his way through some himself.

Vergil lunged, catching him in the ankle. Bart squealed and kicked him away.

"I told Airi we wouldn't hurt him!" Dante barked.

"Well unlike you I'd prefer to get out of here unmasticated!" His brother shot back, parrying one of the deformed wings.

Unmasticated. Who the fuck uses 'masticate' in a normal sentence?

As he pondered, the monster charged, stomping debris into splinters and dust. Dante leapt backwards, and Bart heaved and twisted where he had stuck between two pillars.

"Ha! Good luck getting your fat ass down here!" He jeered, dancing out of the way of his reaching claws.

"Dante! Dante, you idot! Get back here!" The Yamato came down between the Manticore's wings, and he trumpted in pain, wrenching free.

"What the fuck are you doing! I had him!"

"He had you! Don't lose sight of the fire, remember!" Vergil panted, losing ground as the Librarian beat him back with blow after blow against the Yamato. "Or are you not listening to your girlfriend any more!"

From where Dante stood, he seemed to be miles away. Uphill.

"Shit." There was nothing to it - he had to use his Devil Trigger. Airi would understand, right?

She ran, fast enough to make her chest burn, lungs burning, legs aching. At her back, she heard the roar. Heard the ensuing clash. As she ran, tears sprang to her eyes.

I'm so sorry, Bart.

"I'm so sorry."

She had only done this once before, on a dare, of all things. She remembered it vividly, the change in Bart, the way he had come for her, hot breath on her neck. It was the same sheer terror she felt now, as the crashing and bellowing increased behind. Hell, these halls went on forever -

There was a deafening crack, and the rush of falling rubble. Dante and Vergil shouted, their voices clear.

He's come through the wall.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Oh SHIT!"

Against the book, her arm seared with pain. She had told Dante that this could be done, but she had never told him she had managed it.

She sported bite marks that proved otherwise.

Skidding round another corner, she gasped at the sight of moonlight flooding the passage. She flung herself against the ladder, flying up in a panicked blur. She didn't stop until she reached the mouth of the hollow, where she collapsed in the leaves, shaking.

Moments later, Dante's voice called out: "Heyyy!", and she willed herself up. He was dragging his feet, was he wounded? No, there he was, bruised and scratched, yet somehow in on piece.

Vergil on the other hand…

Airi rushed forward, helping to lean him against the bole of a tree. His face was streaked with half-congealed blood from a wound on his scalp, one of his eyes was swollen shut, deep welts glistened on his legs from Bart's claws…

"Black and blue and red all over." His brother quipped.

Airi plucked a shard of glass out of his forehead. He groaned, raising his hand in challenge before dropping it back into his lap. "Will he be alright?"

"He'll be fine. Just got used as a battering ram, is all."

"You're not at all worried about your brother?"

"Nope, I'm just annoyed someone else put his thick skull to good use."

By the time they got home, Vergil was walking independently, though not without looking daggers at Airi, who did her best to be nice to him. Challenge as it was, she kept her mouth shut against his snide remarks, and even held the door as he hobbled through. The stairs proved an insurmountable obstacle, and she and Dante had to half-carry him up to the living room, where he veritably collapsed onto the sofa.

Airi stared down at the claw marks. "Should we clean them?"

"Nahhh." Dante responded, sitting down and opening a beer. "He'll have shrugged it all off by morning."

Vergil moaned in pain.

"- He's just being dramatic."

"These pants are tailor made." Came the rasping retort.

"That's more like it."

"I'll buy you new pants." Airi promised.

"I assure you, that is the very least you could do."

"Something for the pain?" She suggested to Dante.

He stood up and waved the beer bottle over his brother's head. "Verrr-gil! Verrrr-gil!"

The fallen soldier swung at him. "Get that stinking swill out of my face!"

"He doesn't seem too tormented."

"Fuck you! Both of you!"

"I have gin, if you'd prefer?" She offered.

He raised his head, with effort. "Actually…"

Airi went to the kitchen and poured two generous tumblers of raspberry liquer. Dante sniggered as she passed the pink drink to Vergil, but his brother did not seem to mind at all.

"Remind me to buy you some new glasses." She remarked, thumbing a small chip on the lip of her own.

Dante was strangely insulted. "Nothing wrong with my glasses!"

Vergil managed to sit up, and gulped down a mouthful. Airi sipped at her own, chip turned away, and flicked through the book in her lap.

"So tell me." The Elder Son of Sparda said. "How exactly did you learn to read the ancient scripts?"

"My mother taught me."

"And how did she learn?"

"Bart taught her."

He glared over the rim of his tumbler.

His brother flicked on the TV. Airi finished the remainder of her drink and went to bed, taking the book with her.

Vergil tugged at one of the many loose threads hanging from the ragged gashes in his trousers.

"If none of us wake up tomorrow. Remind me to remind you that it was your fault."

Dante looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Cheerful as ever, bro."